Fountain-pen.



No. 646,l27. Patented Mar. 27, woo. w. E. McKEE.

FOUNTAIN 'PEN.

(Afiplication filed May 25, 1899.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES- PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM i]. M'OKEE, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

s-rECIr'IcATION forming part of Letters Patent no. 646,127, dated March27'', 190i).

Application filed May 25,1899. Serial No. 718,276. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. MCKEE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fountain-Pens, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fountain-pens, the object being to provide animproved construction of this class of pens whereby the escape of inkfrom the reservoir thereof is wholly shut off, except when thetip-section carrying the pen is in a certain position relative to saidreservoir for writing, thereby obviating the inconvenience due to theleakage of ink from the pen or reservoir when not in use or when carriedin the pocket; and the invention consists in the peculiar constructionof the connecting parts of the said reservoir and tipsections and theink-ducts therein, whereby said object is attained, all as hereinafterfully described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings forming part ofthis specification, Figure 1 isa side elevation, partly in section, of a fountain-pen embodying myimprovements. Figs. 2 and 3 are end elevations of those parts of theink-reservoir and pen-holding'tip ofthe pen at which the ink-ducts ofthose parts interconnect. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, somewhatenlarged, of a washer which is interposed between the bearingsurfaces ofsaid ink-reservoir and tipsection. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of saidreservoir and tip-sectionsat and near their screw-connected ends. I

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the ink-reservoir, having the inkchamber 2 therein and a duct 3 leading therefrom to the lower endthereof opposite the tip-sectionB, which contains the duct 1), extendingfrom its upper end to the pen, as usual. Said reservoir and tip-sectionsare screw-connected, as shown, in such manner that circular shouldersthereon are brought opposite to each other at d; but instead ofpermitting said shoulders to bear one against the other when said partsare screwed together, as usual heretofore, the said shoulders arenormally retained in separated relations of varying degree, as shown,for the purposes below set forth. It will be noted that the lower ordelivery end of said ink-duct 3 of the reservoir opposite the end ofsaid tip or pen-carrying section B has its lower end terminating to oneside of a longitudinal center line between the sides of said reservoir,and that the inkduct 1) in said tip-section likewise terminates to oneside of a longitudinal center line between the sides thereof and to adegree coinciding with the eccentric position of that of said reservoir.The purpose of the described positions of said ink-ducts 3 and b is thatwhen the said tip and reservoir sections occupy the positions shown inFig. 1 the said two ducts shall not register, so to speak, and

therefore no ink can pass from the reservoir to the pen; but by turningone or both of said sections A and B slightly more than the measure ofthe diameter of either of the adjoining ends of said ducts the flow ofink from the reservoir is either established or cut off. In practice thescrewing more closely together of said reservoir and tip to separate theextremities of said ducts, as aforesaid, brings .the end of thescrew-threaded part of the tip B to a bearing against the base of thescrewthreaded socket of the reservoir A, and thereby substantiallystopping the escape of ink into the said screw-threaded parts. Theseparating element between said shoulders at d, Fig. 1, consists of anelastic washer 7, (see Fig. 4,) having a central or bodypart 8, ofnon-absorbent elastic material, as soft rubber or other similarsubstance, and surface-covering sections 9 9, .of waxed or oiled clothor paper, whereby when said washer shall be compressed between saidshoulders by screwing said pen-tip and reservoir together, as in Fig. 1,the surface parts thereof are held closely against said shoulders at d,sothat should any ink pass from said reservoir-duct 3 to the screw partsof the tip and reservoir it cannot escape between the said shoulders ofthe latter to the outside of the parts andsoil the same. Furthermore,the elastically-dilatin g action ofsaid washer when either the reservoirA or the tip-section B is turned slightly one upon the other to bringsaid duct extremities to juxtaposition, as aforesaid, tends to keep thewasher-surfaces in such close contact with the surfaces of saidshoulders at d as to prevent any leak of ink. The rotary movement ofsaid reservoir or said tip required to cause the ink to fiow or to ceaseflowing is, as aforesaid, only slightly more than the diameter of theducts 3 and Z2, and hence the dilation and compression of said washerwould be very slight. To aid a person in determining at a glance whetheror not the said ink-ducts are in operative communication with the pen,gage-line marks 4: and 5 are applied to the surface of the reservoir Aand a like mark 6 is applied to the surface of the pen-tip B. Over saidmarks 4 and 5, respectively, are the letters S and O, the formersignifying Shut and the latter Open. When the pen-tip B shall be turnedso that the said line 6 thereon registers with said line 4 on thereservoir, that signifies that the ink is shut off from the pen; butwhen the said tip shall be turned to bring the line 6 thereon to theposition relative to the line 5 on the reservoir that indicates an openinkpassage from the reservoir to the pen.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In a fountain-pen, anink-reservoir, having an ink-chamber therein, and a duct or channelleading from the lower end of the chamber, the lower end of the ductbeing deflected from a straight line, combined with the tip-sectionhavinga duct extending therethrough, the upper end of theduct being alsodeflected from a straight line, and a washer placed between thereservoir and the tip-section; the tip-section and the reservoir beingscrew-threaded upon their connecting ends and adapted to be rotated soas to separate the ends of the two parts or bring them together,substantially as shown.

2. In a fountain-pen, the reservoir and tip sections thereofscrew-connected for free reciprocally-rotary movements one upon theother,- whereby their united ends approach and recede toward and fromeach other, an elastic packing interposed between said sections wherebythe ink contained in said reservoir is there retained during saidapproaching and receding movements, and ink-ducts in said sectionsterminating atthe adjoining extremities thereof eccentrically each tothe other, but brought to interconnecting or to separated positions by alimited rotary movement of either said reservoir or tip, substantiallyas described.

\VILLIAM E. MCKEE.

Vitnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMoNs,

